Fires of Panem
by ServantOfRagnos
Summary: After the war against President Snow, peace and prosperity take hold of Panem. But soon, things take a turn for the worse with the formation of the NRA. We follow Jordan as his life goes overboard. Can he survive the purge of the NRA and fight back?
1. Introduction

Your It!" shouted Meg from the other side of the field.

"Not Fair, you cheated," Cameron shouted back.

Kids. I smirked. They're too young to understand everything. So carefree. If only I could be that young again. But alas, I'm nineteen now, and my Father has a need for me nearly every day, doing anything that needed doing around the small Village.

Worry creased my face, remembering what had happened a few days ago.

A Live broadcast aired all across Panem, announcing the Formation of the New Republic of America.

It should have been great news. We all learned about the old world back in school, especially how America was one of the Biggest Powers in the World at that time.

But we still have bad memories about Snow and his Dictatorship. Nearly all Grandparents talk about the war, which they participated in, to free the people of Panem from his rule.

Governer Katniss Everdeen played a great part in making this peace last. But now, it seems that, even after all these efforts, her plans have failed. The fact that it's called a Republic changes nothing. We all secretly know that one person leads everything, and that trouble is around the corner.

"Hey! I touched you!" Cameron shouted.

"You did not!" My sister shouted back.

"Guys..." I was tired of this babysitting job, "Stop bickering."

"Fine." Meg huffed.

"Okay!" Cameron said.

"I saw Cameron touch you. Meg, you're it."

My sister gave me the look she always gives me. The I'll-kill-you-in-your-sleep look. She never does that though. Not yet at least. There was a fire in her belly that could have put grown men to shame.

I laughed, looking at my watch in the process.

It was Close to Six PM, and we needed to be back by six, otherwise, my parents would have my head.

"Shit," I muttered, before standing up and walking closer to them. "Kids, it's time to go, sadly."

"Kids!" I said, "It's time to go!"

"Ohhhhhhh." Both of them moaned.

"Stop moaning," I told them, "Now get going."

They ran towards the small village of Rome.

A name from a time now long forgotten.

After Snow's dictatorship fell, we found a multitude of secrets that only Snow himself had known. One was a bunch of coordinates, leading to various locations in America. Each location had a vault there, which once opened, brought us new knowledge of the past. There, we had found many names of cities now long destroyed by the Rising sea, or wars of the past. Our Village Leader, my Father, had decided to name the Small Community after Rome.

The Two Kids were still playing tag in front of me, but I kept a close eye on them right up until I reached the door of Cameron's house. I knocked, and Cameron's Ma, Mrs. Daria Penschi Opened it. She still wore her husband's surname, even though he had passed a few years ago now. Serving as a Pilot for a small Company, his Helicopter had gone down, due to an engine malfunction.

"Thank you, Jordan."

"No Problem, I'm happy to help."

"Bye Jordan, Bye Meg!" Cameron said, and then the door closed.

"Come on Meg, let's get home before it's dark."

In the matter of a few minutes, we were already stepping inside our own house. It was large, compared to most houses in the village, and we had two cars parked in front of the house, more than most Villagers could afford. My Father as the Mayor, my mother as an Administration worker for Panem, now NRA.

They were both staring at the TV, looking at the news, ever since the declaration for the NRA.

My mother was laying out plates, tearing her eyes from the TV, and then she noticed us, Greeting us with a smile.

 _"And now for some special news!"_ The newsreader said, " _Governor Everdeen and her Husband, Governer Melark are visiting the Capitol. She has been invited here, from her private residence, by the New Republic of America. A nice parade will take place tomorrow to celebrate the forming of The NRA. The team of News Of Panem wishes everyone participating and watching the parade a nice time!"_

"The NRA is up to no good, I tell you." My Father Said.

"Yes dear, I know." My mother replied, having listened to his ranting for the last few days. She too wasn't too happy about the change. Then again they both had a reason to feel paranoid. After all the Last Government that ruled over Panem had been brought down, years of Death and Dictatorship later. Both of my Grandparents and my Grandmother from my Father's side had died in that war for freedom.

My father then turned to me, probably noticing me for the first time since I've entered.

"Ah, Jordan, my son. You're back!"

"Daddy!" My sister squealed, running forward to hug him like she did every day.

"Hello, Cupcake." He said.

Once Meg let go of dad, she turned to mom and gave her a squeeze too.

I walked up and squeezed the hand of my father, and then gave my mom a kiss on the cheek.

"How was babysitting?" She asked.

"Fine," I said. I told her when Meg wasn't close by, that I didn't like it. She just smiled, with a knowing look in her eyes. "Anyway, you've arrived just in time. Everyone Come sit down."

My stomach rumbled in anticipation. I hadn't eaten much today. Some bread with cheese and that's about it for lunch. Thankfully, our dinner was always cooked.

I sat down, my sister next to me. It was venison steak. Bit chewy, but better than bread and cheese, that's for certain.

Once we finished, we thanked our dinner and raced up the stairs. I ran into my room. Finally all by myself. This was my kingdom. Machine Parts were strewn on my desk, currently forgotten. I was trying to remake one of the Holodiscs used by the Commanding officers during the siege of the Capitol. I found a broken one thrown away once, and I'd taken it home. I hoped that some secrets could be learned from it.

My wall was covered in posters. Most were of bands that I liked. They had formed after the fall of Snow.

I wanted to work with one of my little projects, but I felt spent, so I just flopped onto my bed and fell asleep, knowing that I had nothing else to do for the day.

"Rise and Shine!" Said a voice, shaking me.

"Mom!" I moaned, feeling like I had only slept for a few seconds.

"Come on, I even let you sleep for longer, now wake up!" She ordered.

"Okay, Fine."

She left the room, having done the deed of waking me up. Slowly, I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I stood up, got dressed in some clothes fit for a day of relaxation. While pulling my shirt up, I remembered why I was waiting for this day. No babysitting, no Jobs! I planned forward, talking with a few friends so we could meet up, figure out the Holodisk together. I wanted to go as soon as possible, so I decided to pack up my gadgets and stuff. These guys could help me a lot.

I packed up and rushed down for breakfast. My sister was already sitting on the couch, next to father. The news was still going on the TV, and I thought about if my father even went to sleep tonight. My plate was still on the table. There were leftovers from yesterday, enough for everyone to have a nice breakfast. I quickly took out the biggest piece of Venison I could find and chewed it vigorously.

"Slow down a bit, dear. I know you'll be meeting friends, but that doesn't mean you have to choke yourself." My mother said from the sink.

"Okay mom," I tried to say, but I had food in my mouth, so it sounded like I was humming.

I finished quickly and thanked my mom for breakfast. I then ran up, grabbed my suitcase of gadgets and back down again. I was excited! I wasn't always free of duty, so this was a rare thing for me, and I wanted to make the most of it. I was done so quickly that I still had some time left before the meeting. I sat down next to Meg, my suitcase in my lap.

"This bloody parade is shaking up the Capitol more than the Great Fire." My father said.

The Great Fire was really just What the name suggested it was. In 2248, Twenty Years before I was born, a massive fire spread throughout the Capitol, destroying most Buildings in the city. Hundreds had died, and it had taken a long time to rebuild after that. Most buildings since then have been rebuilt, the damage mostly fixed, but the memory of the fire was still engrained in the minds of the people living there.

" _And I've just gotten word from our reporter that the Newly Appointed Spokesman of the NRA will be making an announcement in front of Thousands of People!"_ The Newsreader said, and the picture cut over to a man, standing on a balcony.

" _People of Panem, I welcome you to this new Era. From this point on, we will live like Kings and Queens! Our Plan isn't to Govern but to Expand. We'll restore the power of Panem as it was before the World Ending Catastrophes destroyed most of civilization. Panem will be Greater than ever before, I can promise everyone that!"_ Cheers rang out from the crowd gathered in front of the Spokesman, Alexander Creek.

My Father perked up as he listened, no longer slumping.

 _"However, every road has a few potholes, and we've reached one of those. I can tell you, it isn't easy to fix, but we'll do our best for the greater good."_

Two White-Cloaked Peacekeepers walked out of the door behind the Spokesman, carrying a person each. The people were tied up.

"What in the hell..." My Father trailed off.

 _"One of our greatest, most beloved Governors has Betrayed us, tried killing me in my own chambers after I had invited them over. I am a Patient and Forgiving man, however, this cannot go unpunished."_

A Cold shudder ran along my spine. Something wasn't right. The entire house was silent as we continued watching the news. Even the Crowd that had been cheering only a few minutes ago had gone quiet.

 _"Isn't that right? Governor Katniss Everdeen and Governor Peeta Mellark."_

A collective gasp came from the crowd, and even I drew in a breath.

 _"You have been found Guilty of Attempted Murder against the Leader of the NRA, and therefore the punishment is death."_

The spokesman drew a pistol from inside his suit, and turned towards them, holding it right up to the head of Governer Mellark.

An audible bang rang out, quickly followed by a second one. The Struggling governers now lay still, the Peacekeepers dragging them away.

 _"A lesson, for all those that try and follow."_ He said, putting away the firearm.

It was all too shocking. No, this must be a dream, right?

But it wasn't. The spokesman kept talking.

 _"For easier administration, we're going to impose a new system. Every small village, with less than Five Hundred Citizens, will be evicted, before the remains of the villages are burnt to the ground. In the Span of a few minutes, Peacekeeper units will arrive. Do. Not. Resist. They are authorized to use lethal force, if necessary. Please comply with everything they say."_

"To Hell with that." My Father snarled, jumping up from the Sofa, and running up the stairs.

" _For Good of Panem!"_ Then the screen went black, along with all the lights in the house.

In no time my father was running down the stairs again, holding an Assault Rifle.

"Where did you-" I tried asking.

"NO QUESTIONS. GO."

He kicked open the door and started rounding up the nearby people. Everyone had seen the News.

"To the Forest. It's the only way out!" He yelled, and without hesitation, everybody ran for the treeline. Some others also carried similar weapons to my father.

Not a moment later, two APC's came rumbling down our road, stopping a few meters from the Main Square, where everyone had gathered, and the doors opened up. Dozens of Peacekeepers poured out from it, and without warning, the Stacatto Fire of Gauss Weaponry signaled that they were firing upon us.

Many bullets hit the Villagers who were running for the Trees, felling at least thirty of them, many more tripping over those that had gone down.

My father and those who had any sort of Gun started shooting back towards the Peacekeepers, dropping two of them.

"GO!" He yelled at the three of us, who hadn't moved yet.

My Mother nodded and grabbed my Sisters hand. Before I could turn, my Father look me in the eyes, smiling, before handing me a Pistol, along with a Belt of ammo.

Then I ran.

While Running, I saw the Peacekeepers notice us, and many of them broke off from the APCs, running towards the people escaping.

They didn't shoot though, instead, trying to grab people, and drag them away. This didn't go down well, and Friend and Family Ran to help with Fists and Bits of Iron they had grabbed from their House or kitchen.

After a few hits, the Peacekeepers started firing, some of them blindly into a crowd.

I noticed Cameron Penschi, the kid who had been playing with Meg only yesterday, trying to escape the Grip of the Peacekeeper. Mrs. Penschi Ran up, trying to help, but she was knocked out cold with the butt of the pistol he held, and that didn't go down well with Cameron.

He Kicked the Peacekeeper in the Groin, who immediately started curling up.

The Finger of the Peacekeeper slipped, firing the pistol into Cameron's Skull from point blank range.

Anger swelled up in me, and I gripped my Pistol tightly.

Running up to the Groaning Peacekeeper, I shot him in the back twice, dropping him for good.

Then tucking my pistol into my pants, I hauled Mrs. Penschi onto my shoulders, and with a final glance to Cameron, I kept running. Tears running down my cheek.

A second Peacekeeper lay in front of me, and to be sure I shot him once in the chest before I heard his Radio.

 _"Strong Resistance. Withdrawing. Commencing Fire Bombing."_

For Good Measure, I slung the Rifle He carried onto my back, before picking up the Briefcase full of my Machine Parts. Until this point, I had hardly even noticed it.

"HURRY UP, TO THE FOREST," I Yelled.

Already in the distance, I could see black dots, which I knew wouldn't turn out to be birds.

The APCs came to life with a roar, and they started backing away from our Village, going back down the Road.

The men that had stayed to provide some cover fire were now running towards us, though with fewer numbers than when I had last seen them. With a sigh of relief, I noticed my Father amongst the crowd, carrying Mr. Treniller, who had been shot in the leg.

"We aren't safe yet Son, get going!" My father yelled.

Each of them carried at least two more weapons, scavenged from the Peacekeepers.

By now, the bombers were getting louder, until they were drowning out the APCs.

"We're gonna make it!" Mr. Polker yelled joyously.

Then he stopped, and I glanced back for a moment.

Blood was trickling from a hole in his forehead, and he collapsed in that second.

"They have Snipers! Get Going. Trees will give us cover!" My Father yelled.

We were the last ones to enter the forest, leaving behind Fifty Dead.

I smiled at my father, who smiled back.

Before I knew what had happened, my father was gone. A thin red mist hung in the air.

He Lay on the floor. His Head leaking blood.

"Grab those Weapons and Run!" Mr. Jaelm Cried, sprinting after the other Villagers.

I had to be dragged from the body of my father, the shock still heavy on my shoulders.

 **My Father. Dead.**


	2. The Box

It had been Ten Minutes since we left Rome behind, the Village had lit up, and I was sure nothing had survived the fireblast.

I had found my Mother and Sister near-instantly, sitting down with everyone else for a short rest. I had told them what happened, and we cried for a solid Five minutes, before setting back off.

We were all grief-stricken, not just me, Meg and Mom, but every villager who had escaped, all two hundred of us. Everyone had lost someone who was loved.

Many people now carried guns, stolen from the Peacekeepers. Fifty-Six People with Firearms, and another Hundred with Knives and Blunt Objects.

The Rifle was still slung over my shoulder, the pistol tucked into my Trousers. I wasn't carrying Mrs. Penschi any longer. The Wounded were being carried in stretchers made from thick sticks and Clothes.

Only one thing remained in my hands. The Briefcase.

Stopping for a Moment, I opened up the briefcase, taking out my Foldable Metal Detector.

After turning it on, it instantly started beeping. I raised an eyebrow, and look at the detector.

A tiny piece of magnetic metal was stuck on its bottom, causing it to freak out.

It returned to normal once I took it off.

If nothing else, I could at least find something useful while walking.

Hours passed. No Beeps, nothing too interesting, just more and more walking. Someone noticed a pack of deer, and a few gunmen went after them, taking down half a dozen animals. A finer meal we couldn't have for today.

"Alright people, let's settle down here for the moment being. Eat something, prepare yourselves for a long journey." My mother shouted. She was the adopted leader of our Group.

Fires flared up, the few hunters from our village started carving up the Deer that were caught, and voices grew steadily louder as more conversations sprang up.

I slumped down at a tree and started putting together a small fire. My Mom walked over to me, an Assault Rifle over her own shoulders.

"You okay?" She asked.

"I could ask the same question from you." I said, "I'm fine."

"We'll get through this somehow, believe me."

"Meg?"

"She's... Dealing with it. But she's strong." She smiled, looking over to Meg, who was talking with a few other kids from the Village.

I shifted the Metal detector a bit, cause it was getting in my way. It started Beeping instantly.

"That looks important. I'll leave you to it for a bit." She said, smiling again, before walking away.

Excitement flared up as I dug through my briefcase, but I didn't have my trusty shovel with me. Wasn't planning on going treasure hunting, so I hadn't packed it in. The Metal Detector had only stayed there cause there was enough space to carry it on my person all the time.

Grabbing a Thick Stick, I started digging, and very soon It clunked against something.

In no time it was out of the ground. A small Metal box, with a fingerprint lock on it.

"What did I find?" I asked myself, looking at it from multiple angles.

It was getting dark, so I lit my own fire from a box of matches I also carried with myself. Useful for trading, seeing as how so many people smoked nowadays.

The Firelight gave an eerie orange tint to everything surrounding me, but it was better than darkness.

Using the tools I had, I prised the Fingerprint panel off of the Box, revealing a few wires. I then Grabbed a small battery, connecting it to the wires, and it clicked open.

"So Easy," I muttered, opening the box. It contained a lot of papers, but the writing on them was gibberish. I was about to throw it onto a fire, then decided against it.

The most interesting part of the contents of this box was a Map.

It wasn't like the map we were shown, rather the Map of the Old World, before the Sea rose.

Many markings were drawn on with different colors, but apart from the blue which showed where the sea had risen, there was nothing I could make sense of.

A Watch also sat in the box, a small Battery next to it. The date stopped at 2130.06.05.

That only helped my excitement grow.

A smaller box was also buried under the papers, and I noticed it had a plug in it.

Grabbing the Holodisc from the Briefcase, I laid it on the floor. It was functional up to the point where it allowed you to view information, however, it wouldn't show the information inside it, which was what I was working towards fixing.

Quickly connecting the box to the holodisk made the small box light up, and then Information was flowing into the holodisk. Once it finished sharing data, I looked through everything inside this box, but most were encrypted in exactly the same way as the words on the papers were.

There was a Video file though, and it was in English, reading _Important._

I opened it, and the hologram of a ragged looking man was staring at me, nearly making me drop the machine.

 _"Well, here goes nothing._ _"_ The Man muttered. _"I'm hoping the camera works. My name is Joe Larmania, Soldier of the Post-American Nation Enforcement Military, PANEM for short. This Box contains Sensitive Information, that belongs to PANEM. If you find this, it means I am dead, but take it to Sabrina. She'll know what to do with it. The Map Has a Red Cross on it. That's where our Base of Operations is. She'll reward you handsomely."_

The recording turned off.

I just stood there for a moment, shocked.

Then, jumping up from my spot, I grabbed the Tiny box, the Map and the Holodisk, I ran over to my Mom.

"Mom!" I shouted, not knowing where she was, until she stepped in front of me, making me slow to a stop.

"What happened?" She asked, concern in her eyes. One hand gripping the Assault Rifle Tightly.

"I know where we can go!"

"How?" She raised an eyebrow.

"This box... It- It contains memories of the past. There's an outpost somewhere close by."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Before she could say anything, I shoved the holodisk into her hand, replaying the video.

I Didn't think her eyes could widen further.

They still did.

Then without time for her to react, I shoved the Map into her hands, taking back the Holodisk, whilst pointing out the Red X.

"This- It's Amazing. Thank you, Jordan for this. We're going to go right away. Get your sister, we're going." She told me, instantly shouting for everyone to get up, pack away the meat, stamp out the fire and to get moving.

Running back to my stuff, I packed away everything, stomped out the fire, and started looking for my sister. It was dusk, and it was hard to see, but I found her sitting near the Wounded, talking with a woman.

Mrs. Penschi.

She had woken about an hour ago, and the news of the Death of Her son had been broken to her.

I walked over quietly, not wanting to butt in on the conversation.

"Jordan?" She asked when she noticed me get closer.

"Yes, it's me."

"I wanted to talk to you."

I Gulped.

"I was told you tried to help Cameron Before-" She let out a sob. "Before he died. What happened? I can't remember."

"A Peacekeeper tried to take him, and you went over to help him."

She touched her head, where the peacekeeper had hit her.

"Upon seeing you collapse, he kicked the Peacekeeper in the Groin, and the Peacekeeper shot him. I then Shot the Peacekeeper."

"You tried your best. I thank you for that. Was his death quick?"

"Yes," I said, tears streaming down my dirty cheek. I had to be strong though, so I wiped them away.

"Meg, pack your stuff, we're setting out."

"Where to?"

"Somewhere safe, hopefully."

She smiled, as I wiped a tear from her face.

Very soon, the Group was ready to leave.

"Is everything packed up?" I asked Meg.

"Yes." She muttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She said, louder this time.

My Sister always had a knack for losing things, which was why I was double checking.

The Ground was wet, the footprints of Two hundred people easily leaving a track. That worried me. If we were to be followed... No, it's best not to think of that.

After ten minutes, I saw my sister rummage in her backpack. When she didn't find the thing she was looking for, tears welled up in her eyes. I sighed inwardly.

"Jordan!"

"Yes?"

"Bear is missing!" She wailed.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." I muttered.

"Where did you leave him?"

"I left him propped to a tree!"

"At the Camp Site."

She nodded.

I knew that she had gotten that toy from Dad, so I knew better than to let the Bear stay there.

"I'll go. Hold this until I return." I said, giving her my briefcase.

I passed the Rear-Guard, telling them where I was going. After a short nod, they let me through.

We had walked only Ten Minutes, so I managed to Jog there in Six.

After a bit of searching, I found the damned bear, pushing it into my pocket.

Movement caught my eye, and I froze. Something was out there.

A Muted Curse, and then my eyes pinpointed on a moving figure, wearing Camofluage, and hopping after stepping into a foxhole.

There were at least two dozen peacekeepers in front of me, and I quickly dived to the ground, slinging the Rifle off of my back.

Targeting wasn't a problem, as I had hunted with my Father many times, and working with Machines also required some precision.

Putting the Closest one into my crosshairs, I waited a bit, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

Luck was on my side after all. I had a Gauss Weapon instead of a Ballistic one, so there wasn't any muzzle flash. The Forest helped spread the sound of the shot, making it hard to pinpoint.

The Man Collapsed with a wound in his head, while the others instantly took cover.

"Sniper!" One shouted.

Bang.

Two down. Twenty-Two more to go.

The Darkness helped me blend into the shadow of the trees, and I quickly crawled closer, so that I had a better angle, before clicking it to Fully Automatic.

I emptied the rest of the Mag into a row of trees, the Gauss Bullets shredding through the wood, taking out At least Eight of them.

"They're in the shadows!" One of them shouted.

More crawling and I was at the body of the first Peacekeeper I had downed. Grabbing the Mags He carried, I changed my own, before grabbing a grenade.

I pulled the pin, counted to two, and threw. I was giving away my position.

"What was that?"

"Oh shit, GRE-"

The man, his friend and possibly a few more people were blown to dust as the explosion rocked the ground.

"IT CAME FROM THERE!"

Dirt was kicked up only a meter from my head.

Jumping up from my spot, I ran forward, hiding behind a thick tree.

I felt the Entire tree shake as bullets took off entire sections of the wood, and I knew that very soon they'd drill through my cover, and then I'd be finished. All for a Teddy Bear.

Something moved from where I had come from.

"Huh?" I muttered while the clings of emptied clips echoed through the woods.

Half a dozen Villagers burst through the foliage, flanking the Peacekeepers and Killing them before they could overcome their surprise. It was over in a few heartbeats.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"What in the fuck were you thinking, Jordan?" It was Mr. Jaelm.

"I- My-"

"Nevermind, we have to get out of here."

"I doubt there's anyone left." Another man, Morgan Trelliner, said.

"Why do you think that?"

"They were following our trail, so they don't need many groups for scouting."

"There's truth there."

"We can always use new weapons and armor. Collect them as quick as possible. Jordan, you help too."

Five more Villagers came running over while we started collecting equipment, and they joined in.

"This one's alive!" Someone called.

I noticed someone get pushed towards me. The Peacekeeper could hardly stand, dozens of blood streaks running down his legs from splinters.

"What should I do with him?" It was Ruilin Kristof.

"Shoot him." Mr. Jaelm said.

The Peacekeeper flinched as Ruilin lifted the gun.

"Wait."

"What now Morgan?"

"We can question him for information."

Mr. Jaelm's eyes narrowed.

"Good thinking. Now we've got everything, let's get going."


End file.
